W.D. Snodgrass letters to Lila Jean Hank

Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet W.D. (William De Witt) Snodgrass (1926-2009) wrote 58 letters between 1944 and 1946 to his then-fiancée Lila Jean Hank after being drafted into the United States Navy and stationed in Saipan. The letters described life on the naval base at the end of World War II and a long, anxious period of demobilization in the Pacific. Snodgrass was one of the early practitioners of the confessional style in American poetry with his first volume Heart's Needle (1959) written after his divorce from Hank in 1953 and inspired by the subsequent estrangement from their daughter.

These love letters document the couple's courtship during Snodgrass's time overseas and offer insight into the relationship whose dissolution inspired Heart's Needle. The letters contain mementoes including photos, annotated newspaper and magazine clippings, drawings, and excerpts of love poems. As Snodgrass counted down the months until his return, the letters offered an outlet for the couple to plan their future, including the shipment of Hank's engagement ring, the date of their wedding, Snodgrass's views on Hank's academic career, and the possibility of children. Additional references to and absorption of popular culture and contemporary and classic works of literature and music while on the base provide insight into Snodgrass's early interests in writing and the formation of his personal style.

The Battle of Saipan in June-July 1944 secured the island for the United States and an important foothold for the Allies in the Pacific Theater. Snodgrass's descriptions of military life, however, primarily focused on leisure and provided a glimpse of everyday life in the South Pacific for his fiancée. Written in the period between the final days of the War and demobilization, the letters covered such topics as the food on the base, conversations with his fellow yeomen, entertainment, and his daily letter writing regimen. His letters contained numerous references to the impact of receiving letters, frequent requests for more letters, and analyses of mental strain and isolation resulting from too little communication. Recognizing his predicament as a common experience, Snodgrass documented the growing frustration of soldiers awaiting demobilization in this period.

In the letters, Snodgrass also shared with Hank his tastes in literature, music, and film—additional ways he found to pass the time and relieve his anxiety. He favorably reviewed the movies shown on the base and enjoyed the symphonies played on the radio. In his countless trips to the library, he acquired and appreciated books ranging from art history textbooks to classic literature and contemporary novels. While he seldom disliked what he read, he reserved special praise for his favorite authors such as Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) and recommended new discoveries including Kahlil Gibran's (1883-1931) The Prophet (1923). During his time overseas, Snodgrass discovered and became an avid admirer of Thomas Wolfe (1900-1939), in particular his posthumously published semi-autobiographical novel The Web and the Rock (1939), which Snodgrass considered a potential model for his own writing.